Meringue

Meringue (French un baiser " Kiss" ), also called Spanish wind or meringue / meringue is a meringue made ​​of sweetened whipped egg whites. Meringues are at about 100 ° C more dried for one to two hours as baked and should stay white to pale yellow. Meringue pies, however, only be flamed. That the mass remains rather soft and is lightly browned.

Production

According to the Guidelines for pastry of German food book meringue is made ​​of sucrose and / or other types of sugar and at least 20 percent of egg white by drying. If you give the meringue a little lemon juice, it will be fixed, as the citric acid to swell the white and thus makes the mass more stable. The sugar content of a meringue can be between 50-110 g per egg whites amount (30 g). An egg white can dissolve a maximum of 50 g of sugar, so the remaining amount of sugar in the form of powdered sugar or water boiled with sugar must be added.

• Cold whipped meringue: Egg whites beaten very stiff, it added little by little powdered sugar ( about 50 grams per egg ). If the mass is fixed, it is given with a spoon or piping bag in heaps or any form on a lined baking tray. Cold whipped meringue are brittle and porous, have a rough surface and are dull.
• Warm whipped meringue: The preparation is essentially the same, but as soon as the egg white is stiff, the bowl is placed in a heated water bath at 50 ° C and the mass continued to be beaten until it is firm and fine pores. The water must not come to a boil, otherwise the egg white coagulates it. Warm whipped meringue is more stable than cold whipped.
• Cooked meringue: This preparation method, also called "Italian meringue" is, essentially professional bakers and confectioners reserved because it is too complicated for the private household. In her boiling hot sugar is lifted under the egg whites ( 114 ° -116 ° C, the chain flight cooked). Thus, a meringue is achieved, which is much more stable and, unlike the cold whipped meringue also has a smooth and shiny surface.

The meringue mass disintegrates within 10 to 20 minutes once again to egg white as it is not further processed.

Use

Large Portion meringues are usually somewhat hollowed on the underside and in pairs with whipped cream and fruits as Pavlova ( named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ) or with ice cream, fruit or cream filled and served.

Another variation of meringue covered with ice is the omelette surprise.

Outside Germany ( and in parts of southern Germany ) meringues are called meringues. Meringues are originally from Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland derived, popular in Switzerland dessert, which was probably invented there in 1600 by the Italian confectioner Gasparini. In addition to the French King Louis XV. the meringues were tasted by the Queen of England. Your saying " Oh, this is like a kiss " is said to have led to the designation meringue. In Switzerland, classic meringues served with plenty of whipped cream. Meringues ice cream called the dessert when it is additionally served with ice cream. Spreads are there too meringues as an accompaniment to Vermicelles.

Meringue is also used as top layer of cake ( usually fruit cake) and used for browning of desserts, while nonetheless easily tans not quite dried up and on the top. In rare browning of ice cream only the outer shell or trained peaks are browned. Some cakes are made from individual soils pre-baked meringue, which can be supplemented with ground nuts and a little flour ( then also called Japonaise ). A well-known example is the Zug cherry.

Similar food

• Much like meringue Salzburg dumplings are made. However, they are not dried slowly, but baked.
• In the Swabian meringues are also referred to as " Schäumle ".